I’ve come to the conclusion that if I’m gonna survive this working from home and stay at home mama gig, I’d better get organized + I’d better do it quick.
I am drowning in toys and slowly weaning GBB and teething seems to always strike at the worst time (those 2 yr molars are bound to make their appearance soon, eep!) and dishes need to be done and I have unanswered emails and my work to do list is a kajillion miles long. My blog just got a fresh re-brand (thank you Justine at The Boss Lady Co.) + we have upcoming projects that I can’t wait to get started and I haven’t read a book for pleasure in a lifetime. And I’d like to take an uninterrupted shower. Oh, and see my husband for longer than 0.26374 seconds.
And did I mention laundry and cooking and keeping a toddler happy?! Oh, and also taking care of myself!? (Ha. Why is that always on the back burner? NOT OK).
ANYWAY.
Since being back from LA, life has gotten hella-crazy-busy and after having two weeks of pure insanity + chaos, I decided I needed to implement some serious structure into our lives.
We have a pretty good routine but seeing as I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants, I decided it was high time I get super crazy organized so I can check off more on my many to do lists, get more productive work (and writing!) done, and spend quality distraction-free time with my precious little shadow (I am scared to blink because he seems to be growing bigger and older each day + my heart has been simultaneously breaking and swelling with pride…).
I wrote a similar post about our day-to-day routine a year ago but as we all know, babies don’t keep + routines and schedules change constantly with little ones. So, with that being said, I have created a much more structured daily schedule that not only addresses life with a toddler but also my work-from-home tasks and my blog/creative work as well.
A quick disclaimer, this is a general outline of our day. Somedays we wake up a little bit later and somedays the weather is super sunshine-y that we spend a longer time outside. And somedays, George is exhausted earlier or he wants to go to sleep a little later. Yes, our days are structured (because my sanity is important!) but I’m not a crazy regimented mama that doesn’t go with the flow here + there. I think flexibility is key, especially with children.
7am. We wake up. George sleeps in his own room on his floor bed. I’m usually in there in the mornings as I pass out during a night wake-up…more on this in a future post, promise. We immediately make the beds.
7:15am. Cheerios, water, and Sesame Street for little dude. A big cup of coffee for me. I check my work emails–both for the family business (my other job!) + for HBXO and I quickly scan my social media. I turn the diffuser on at this time too; it really sets the tone of the day + makes my home smell amazing (lately we’ve been loving Saje’s Yoga).
8am. Breakfast time. TV is turned off and music is on (we’re still all about the LaLaLand soundtrack + some country for good measure!). I usually am chugging sipping on my second cup of coffee at this time too.
8:20-9am. Clean up + take out any dinner foods that need to be de-frosted (GBB helps!) and we get ready for the day. Typically, I let GBB play while I wash my face, put makeup on, and get dressed. Once I’m finished, I get him dressed.
9-10am. We play with trains, do a craft (which really consists of me teaching him a lesson about not drawing on the walls chasing him around to stop drawing on the walls, ugh), cook (his current obsession which if you have been following us on my IG stories (@hollybowmanxo) you’ll see his “I cook!” demands!), read books, and/or play with trucks.
10am.We leave the house with a snack in hand.We run errands/play in the backyard/go for a walk/go to the park/playgroup/toddler program.
11:30-12pm. Back home and it’s lunch time. We do a quick clean up as George is usually so ready for his nap. He will tell me that he is “sweepy” in the most precious voice ever. Ugh, I love him.
12/12:30pm-2/2:30pm. NAP TIME/I hustle my booty all over the house trying to do literally everything possible. Any + all work phone calls/interviews happen during this time. I throw in laundry. I finish the dishes. Depending on the day of the week, I will do certain household chores if I have time; if not, I will tidy fast + save the big scrubs for the weekend.
2/2:30pm. Dude is awake. He eats a small snack + I turn on music. He will play by himself.
2:30-5pm. George will play but somedays, I will throw on an episode (or two or three) of Paw Patrol/Dinosaur Train/Thomas the Tank Engine so he can chill out while I check my emails/do a bit of dinner prep. I try really hard not to do this but fail a lot. I mean, sometimes having a toddler in the kitchen while you try and make dinner is H A R D, so I’ve decided to be patient with myself + forgive myself, offer myself grace and try again the next day…it’s a work in progress and I’m far from perfect ;)
5-6pm. Daddy gets home + we eat dinner and I thank my lucky stars for my husband.
6:30pm. Bath time (every other day!) or playtime with daddy. I will use this time to either clean the kitchen from dinner, bathe GBB (Hubs usually does this!), or I retreat to our bedroom and hide and work on emails/blog. Sometimes, I even listen to a podcast (I’m loving Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger Podcast:super inspiring + helpful, like woah!) or read my fav blogs/check social media/catch up on Youtube videos.
7-8pm. Somewhere in this mystical hour, George gets “sweepy” and we will retire to his nursery + Hubs will read us a book and then it’s lights out. There have been a few nights where it has been later and a few that have been earlier but we basically follow GBB’s sleepy cues andddd we like to hit the sweet spot of sleep which is before 8pm.
8pm. This is the time we spend tidying up the house for the next day–I can’t sleep if the house is a disaster + waking up to the mess gives me a case of the eye twitches.
8:30-9pm. Mama free time/I will head down to the office + do some fam business work or hang in our bedroom (it’s just so dang comfy!) and work on HBXO stuff until I am too tired to keep my eyes open. Of course, as soon as my head hits the pillow, I can’t fall asleep (whyyyyy) so I end up pinning the universe on Pinterest.
This is a pretty accurate depiction of our Monday-Friday work week + I am always so happy when it is Friday (because, pizza night!) + Hubs is home for the weekend. After breakfast on Saturday, I usually dip out for a few hours of mama alone time; unless we have a scheduled family outing. This is my “self-care” time + I only wish I had started taking this time to myself sooner. It really revitalizes me (I’ll get a mani/pedi/get my hair done/go shopping/write/go for brunch with my girls etc). I’m always back for GBB naptime. Sundays are family time no matter what.
I created a pdf version of our schedule if you’d like to use it/print it out, I hope it helps!
Are you surviving the work/life/kid juggle?! I’d love to hear what your days look like + if you have any tips and tricks, bring them on! I’m always looking for new ways to be hella-productive/efficient/organized!
As always, thanks for reading. You’re the very best!
